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from beginning to end. And I want the full story. Everything. Don’t leave anything out. Got it? Not a single goddamn thing.’

7
    Winter went through the whole thing again, only this time Mendoza broke up his narrative with questions. Poking, prodding, clarifying. As far as he could tell she didn’t get anything new. Omar’s murder was seared into his memory and he’d covered everything in full the first time around.
    ‘You seem pretty convinced that this woman murdered the Reeds,’ she said when he’d finished.
    ‘I am. What she did to Omar proves that she’s capable of killing. And why leave that newspaper behind? She was pointing us in the direction of the Reed murders for a reason. It’s the only reason I can see.’
    ‘Makes sense to me. Okay, so let me make sure I’ve got this straight. This woman was here when you arrived, she came over to your table, spoke to you, stabbed the cook, then left. And the attack was completely unprovoked.’
    Winter nodded. ‘She accused me of not taking her seriously, but, yeah, I’d say that the attack was unprovoked.’
    ‘And you’ve never seen her before?’
    Winter shook his head. ‘Nope.’
    ‘And she used your first name?’
    A nod.
    Mendoza frowned. ‘So she was waiting specifically for you. Which means she’s been tailing you and you didn’t notice. Which means you’re losing your touch.’
    ‘This has nothing to do with me losing my touch and everything to do with her being the real deal.’
     ‘ The real deal? ’
    ‘We’re agreed that most criminals are idiots, right? After all, that’s how they get caught. Every now and again, though, you come across one who’s smart, one who plans everything down to the last detail. These are the ones who love what they do, and want to keep on doing it. That’s what we’re dealing with here.’
    Mendoza laughed and shook her head. ‘Of course you’re going to say that. I mean, what’s the alternative? That you were outsmarted by an idiot?’
    Winter ignored the dig and shut his eyes. She was trying to push his buttons and that really wasn’t helping. He went through everything in his head again, trying to see how it all fitted together. The camera added a new dimension. He opened his eyes.
    ‘Go back and check the camera footage. You’ll see that she followed me to the diner on Monday night, and Tuesday. She would have visited a third time as well, possibly during the day, to scope the place out. Because I’d been there two nights running she assumed that I’d go there again tonight and timed it so she arrived before I got there. We’re looking for someone who’s around five-nine, but if she’s wearing heels she’ll appear taller. Chances are she won’t have blonde hair during her earlier visits, and I doubt she’ll be dressed in jeans and leather. The hair was fake. Eye colour, too.’
    Mendoza considered all this for a second. ‘I’ll get someone to look into it.’
    ‘I wouldn’t bother. It’s a waste of time.’
    ‘But it was your idea.’
    Winter shrugged. ‘And now that I’ve had time to think it through properly I’m telling you it’s a waste of time. All you’ll do is prove that she’s methodical, and that’s something I’m prepared to take at face value. It’s a tangent we could do without. We need to focus on the road ahead, not the one that’s disappearing in the rear-view mirror. She’s given us Hartwood and the Reeds, and she’s done that for a reason. I want to know what that reason is.’
    They fell silent and Winter glanced over at his reflection in the one-way mirror. In his mind’s eye he saw the woman cross the street and disappear around the corner. He heard a ghostly echo of Elvis singing ‘Suspicious Minds’ .
    ‘Where do you stand on the nature versus nurture debate?’ he asked.
    ‘I think both arguments are valid. Some people are born bad, some are made bad.’
    ‘I’d agree with that. And in my opinion this one was born bad.’
    ‘How can you be